“Hey! Don’t chew on that!” : Fall wood chewing in horses.

September 19, 2017

Fall wood chewing in horses.

Q: My horse has chewed the bark off of the trees in his field and now he’s destroying the wood in his stall!

Why is he doing this?

A:

As the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, some horses may be more prone to chewing on wood. Studies have shown that horses are more likely to chew on wood during wet, cold weather. Veterinarians speculate wood chewing may be due to an instinctive urge for more roughage to, “bulk-up”, before winter as preparation for upcoming cold temperatures and a reduction in food sources.

As long as your veterinarian has ruled out a physical cause such a as nutritional deficiency, here are a few ideas to discourage this destructive behavior:

Provide more long-stem forage. Horses that have free choice access to hay are less likely to chew on wood. If you’re worried about waste consider a hay feeder. Keeping hay up off the ground prevents spoilage from moisture. It also prevents horses from urinating or defecating in their food. If your horses are over-weight ask your vet if it’s okay to fill hay nets or feeders with a low nutrient feed stuff such as straw or the previous year’s hay.

Block access to wood structures. Damage to stalls and fencing is expensive. Even mature trees will die if de-barked. Consider stringing an electrical wire just on the inside of the fence to keep horses away from fence lines and exterior barn walls and buildings. Tractor Supply sells a D battery-operated fence charger. Aluminum wire is relatively safe because it’s soft and breaks easily if the horses get hung up. Protect trees with fencing placed beyond a horse’s reach of tree’s trunk.

Make the wood distasteful. There are many commercial products on the market to discourage wood chewing. We’ve also heard from CareMore Nutrition Clients that Dawn Dish Soap applied to wood surfaces keeps horses away.

Eliminate boredom. Regular exercise, training programs, field rotation or pasture mate changes may keep some horses from chewing out of boredom. Keep him busy.

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For those of you whose horse are in the path of Hurricane Irma, and for any major barometric changes, please read this valuable information from Dr Jim Wright DVM.

"The great barometric changes, especially in storms like Irma, from my experience, seems to greatly increase colic problems. I can attest after not being able to travel in Andrew, so your veterinarian may not be able to get to you. I recommend withholding grain for at least 36 hours before and 48-72 hours after a hurricane BUT give the plenty of hay to help maintain good GI function and to browse on as a pacifier."

“CareMore Nutrition has really, really benefited the types of horses that we get through the rescue program. In the sense that we get a lot of horses in need of gaining weight and to get their health and vitality back. And the products that Wendi puts out just compliment, like I said, the work that we do. And they really help our animals getting to looking well and healthy again.”

"What inspired us about Candice is that she is the epitome of CareMore Nutrition’s ethos. She worked her way up, made the best of what she had, and really has an intuitive understanding of the needs of her horses—physical needs, mental needs, emotional needs—and she motivates them to be the best possible performers they can be."